The previous reauthorization of the Museum and Library Service Act came in 2010, signed by President Obama. But President Trump wants to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services agency, and its $231 million budget, entirely.

A Senate committee voted unanimously last week to not only preserve the agency, but increase its budget as well.

What the Bill Does

The Museum and Library Services Act [S. 3530 + H.R. 6988] in many ways mirrors the previous Obama-era reauthorization, but with a few changes:

Total expenditures would be $299 million, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate.

More funds for disaster preparedness for libraries and museums, an issue more front and center in the wake of recent historically large hurricanes and wildfires in Texas, Florida, and California.

Gary Price (gprice@mediasourceinc.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. Before launching INFOdocket, Price and Shirl Kennedy were the founders and senior editors at ResourceShelf and DocuTicker for 10 years. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com, and is currently a contributing editor at Search Engine Land.